Picking Up The Pieces
by SnowLion no Miko
Summary: Hatori Sohma is a doctor who could probably get any girl he wanted, instead he refrained from falling in love after the death of his fiancee. But with the arrival of the new nurse Tohru, he starts to realize that love can exist after tragedy. Toriru, AU
1. Hello, Doctor

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket._

_**Summary: Hatori Sohma was just a regular doctor with a regular life, but he refrained from falling in love after the death of his fiancée. But with the arrival of the new nurse Tohru, he starts to realize that love can exist after tragedy. Toriru, AU**_

_This is my counter to all the Kyoru and Yukiru fics out there! Although I like Yukiru and Kyoru as much as the next person, I wanted to see Tohru paired up with someone different for a change. And for some reason, I've always been fond of this pairing...I really don't know why, though. And I really don't know if it's called Toriru or not, but I've heard variations of the pairing name, and I just like the name "Toriru" the best. _

_Um, I'm also reducing the age gap between Hatori and Tohru. Here's there ages for this fic:_

_**Hatori - 27  
**__**Tohru - 24**_

_That's the beauty of fanfiction and alternate universes. Ages are whatever you choose them to be! Haha!_

_So, here's the fic! I hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

**Picking Up The Pieces  
****Chapter One: Hello, Doctor**

* * *

The cold, dark eyes of Doctor Hatori Sohma scanned the chart of a patient in his hands. He ran a hand through his jet black hair, tangling his fingers in the dark strands. He sat at his desk, carefully reading and re-reading over this chart of information. His white coat was draped loosely on the back of his chair. Although it was his break time, his stethoscope hung limply from around his pale neck. Sighing in exasperation, he threw the file on his desk, flapping a few extra papers out of the way and onto the carpeted floor of his office. He glared down at the file and started drumming his fingers on the mahogany wood of his desk. He read the name of the person on the file.

_Yuki Sohma._

His own relative was under his care. How strange.

Hatori thumbed through the papers, reading his patient's former health history. _Has asthma attacks often. That's probably what's wrong with him. But, it wouldn't hurt to do a few tests just to make sure._

The strangeness of Yuki coming to him for help was uncomparable to him. Yuki just arrived here today, panting, wheezing, demanding to see him. Yuki had never once came to Hatori's workplace before...well, not until now, that is.

The dark haired man realized his break was over. Hatori lowered his spectacles from his face and sat them onto his desk, not bothering to put them back in their proper place. He rose from his seat and grabbed his white coat, slipping it on as he grabbed his relative's file. He had to go see his new patient in the next room.

As he walked down the hall, a chill went down his spine. Dismissing it to be just the natural coldness of the hospital, he continued down the passage and down toward room A-5. His black shoes made a slight clinking noise as he walked down the tiled hallway and into the room where Yuki rested, waiting for his diagnosis with a glint resting deep within his violet orbs.

"Hello, _Doctor_ Hatori." The man spoke, giving the doctor a sly smirk.

"Good afternoon," Hatori tried to act as if Yuki was any other patient and not his relative. "How is everything?"

"It's been good." Yuki gave yet another smile. "I mean, I've been having the usual chest pains every now and then, but that's usual when you have asthma, ne?"

"Yes...I suppose so." Hatori replied, looking down at his chart and studying it even more than he already had in the past couple of minutes. Squinting, he touched his chest pocket and sighed, aggravated.

"Forget something?"

"Just my glasses." Hatori said simply, ignoring it. "I'll just have to do without them, won't I?" He sent a slightly warm smile in Yuki's direction.

"Guess so." Yuki shrugged, then returned the dark haired man's kind gesture.

Removing the stethoscope from his neck, he put the earpieces into his ears and put the round piece of metal on the end to Yuki's chest. "Breathe deep." He said. Yuki did so, and Hatori listened intently for signs of anything remotely troubling. He removed the earpieces and slung the stethoscope casually over his shoulder. "You have nothing wrong with you." He stated bluntly.

Yuki let out a slight laugh. "Eh..."

"What is the problem?"

"It's just..." Yuki began to stutter. "I...my friend, she..."

"Oh, out with it." Hatori was growing impatient.

"There's this girl who I know from my school. She just graduated from nursing school a while ago, and she's looking for a job..."

"Oh, great." Hatori headed for the door.

"Wait! Hatori, before you dismiss this as another nurse who's seen pictures of you and wants to get in your pants, think again!" Hatori cringed at the words '_get into your pants_.'

"Fine. I'll hear you out this time..." Hatori reluctantly sat down in his chair in front of Yuki, who was sitting on the patient's examination table.

Yuki smiled over at him and continued. "I'm just saying that she really needs a job and that...it would be nice of you if you would at least _interview_ her and see what she's like before you go on judging her like you have past nurses that wished to work with you and were turned down, rather cruelly, I might add."

Hatori quirked an eyebrow. "And how do you know they were rejected cruelly?"

"Shigure."

The doctor rolled his eyes, "Typical."

Yuki jumped off from the examination table and stretched his weary limbs while yawning, "So, what do you have to say about it?"

"About what?"

Yuki rolled his eyes, "Don't play dumb. It doesn't flatter you."

Hatori sighed, "Fine. I guess I'll interview her. When is a good time?"

"Um...tomorrow," Yuki smiled slightly as he headed for the door. "At around three in the afternoon...is that good for you?"

The dark haired man nodded, "Yes, that's fine." He rose from his seat as Yuki turned the doorknob. "I can probably push back a few appointments."

As Yuki stepped out the door, his violet orbs glinted, "Oh, yeah, Hatori?"

"What is it now?"

"Thanks."

* * *

Hatori kicked off his shoes by the door at around ten o'clock that night when he finally got home. He hung his coat on the coat rack that was also by the door, and made his way into his room. He opened the towel closet and got out a face cloth and a regular, full-length towel. Hatori then pulled out his drawer and brought out a pair of navy blue pajama pants and a pair of boxers. He then walked into the bathroom that was connected to his room and turned on the showerhead.

He undressed and stepped in, savoring the feeling of the hot water on his aching muscles and neck. The water trickled down his face, his chin, and down his chest and legs, where it finally pooled around his feet and was washed down the drain.

He lathered the soap on his body, then rinsed it off. Hatori then washed his hair, using the proper amount of shampoo and conditioner.

After spending more time in the shower than he ever had, simply trying to relax, he turned off the water and reluctantly left the soothing bath. He dried off and put on his boxers and pants. Then, as he towel-dried his hair, he walked over to the desk in his room, where his computer was, and sat down, turning on the computer.

He logged in to his email and sighed when he saw that he had one new message. Clicking on it, he said to himself, "This better not be another junk mail..."

But it wasn't a junk mail, it was an email from the man who had seen him earlier that day, Yuki Sohma. He clicked again and the message popped up on the screen.

_Hatori, here's some info about the girl I was telling you about earlier today. I'm sure one of your assistants will give you her file tomorrow before you interview her, but I just decided to give you the basics:_

_Name: Tohru Honda_

"Tohru...?" Hatori mumbled slightly. Wasn't Tohru a boy's name? Well, it was certainly better than the share of "Kitty's", "Sakura's", and "Michelle's" that he had previously interviewed before. He swore that the most of the population of Japan was made up of women named Sakura, who were natives, people who were named Kitty or Neko, which was just a nickname, and Americans named Michelle or Samantha or Danielle... The name Tohru was a breath of fresh air compared to the other over-used names.

_Age: 24_

_Occupation: Nurse_

"Well, I knew she was a nurse," Hatori resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

_Hair: Brown_

_Eyes: Blue_

_Height: 5'6"_

_Weight: 124 lbs._

"How is Yuki getting all of this information?" Hatori sighed, rubbing his temples in aggravation. "It's kinda weird how he knows all of this about this Tohru girl..."

_Bust: ...Hatori, you pervert, did you really think I'd let you in on that?_

The dark haired man felt his face turn a dark shade of crimson. "Damn, Yuki...you and your stupid..." He trailed off, scrolling down to read more.

_Well, that's just the essentials. Um...I really can't think of anything else except that she's very fond of the color pink. You'll learn more in her file. _

_Sayonara, Hatori!_

Hatori grumbled something under his breath and logged out. "You'd almost think he was his brother..." He smiled bitterly as he turned off the computer and walked over to his bed, turning back the covers. He tossed the towel that had been resting on his head onto the chair that sat next to his bed and crawled under the covers.

Rolling over on his side, he sighed when he glanced over at the photograph of a woman, just a few years younger than him, smiling back at him. Her brown hair swayed in the breeze, eyes sparkled, eyes closed in a bright smile, forever captured in that moment in time. Her large, floppy yellow hat was resting loosely on her head, the same color sun dress was billowing in the breeze behind her. He could vaguely see the waves of the ocean crashing behind her, and sun was peeking in through the corner of the picture.

"Kana..." Hatori murmured, smiling bitterly, as sleep claimed him.

* * *

"_Kana!" _

_He reached out to her. It was too late. She had not seen it coming. The car. It zoomed toward her without remorse, hitting the frail woman's form, sending her flying. Her small body connected with the cement, blood flowed everywhere. Down the road, down the street, onto his clothes as he picked her up, raising her head level with his chest._

"_Kana...no..."_

_Hatori cradled the dying woman in his arms, her head against his strong chest. How did this happen? **Why** did this happen? Who would do such a thing...such a thing to ruin...to ruin everything?_

_His cries grew more desperate. "Kana! Kana!"_

_The life giving crimson fluid was leaking onto his shirt, onto his pale skin, staining it scarlet. _

_Her heartbeat was slowing._

_Her eyes were closing._

_Her breath was shallow._

"_Hatori...kun..." She said, her voice a raspy whisper. Her fingers clenched onto the fabric of his shirt tightly, as if trying to hold onto life itself. _

"_Kana..." Hatori's voice was low, mournful._

"_I'm...sorry..."_

_Kana's grip on his shirt grew slack. _

_And he knew she was gone._

"_KANA!"_

* * *

Dark eyes snapped open. Hatori shot up from his bed, his bare back and forehead slick from sweat. That dream...he hadn't had one that intense in a while. Rising from the bed, he walked to the door and opened it.

He walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where he got a glass of water. He gulped it down, and refilled it. Hatori quickly downed the second glass. His throat was dry and needed to be quenched.

He padded into the living room with the glass in hand and stared at the urn on the mantel. Ashes rested in that sacred pot. Not just any ashes, his dear Kana's ashes. The urn was made of delicate china, decorated with blue tulips and pure white lilies, her favorite flower. It sat there, ever since Kana's death, only a year ago.

A slightly bitter smile graced his features as he glanced at the clock, "Three fifty-nine...nice..."

A minute later he heard his alarm sound in his bedroom, waking him for work...but it needn't have bothered...

* * *

"Haa-san?" A voice said as a man with black hair peeked in through the crack of the door in Hatori's office. "Haa-san, are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Shigure." Hatori said simply. "I'm actually surprised that you'd visit me...especially since I'm about to do a job interview with some girl."

"Oh, the one Yuki-kun has been talking about?" Shigure asked, smiling brightly, "She's a very kind woman, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah...from what he tells me, she's not like the others we've have previously interviewed for a job here."

"He means that she doesn't want to get into your pants."

"I hate it when people use that phrase."

"I know. That's why I use it."

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Shigure, you should leave...she could be here any minute, and I don't want her to feel like she's imposing on anything."

Shigure pouted, but then smiled, "I understand, Haa-san!" He smiled and walked toward the door, wrapping his slender fingers around the knob, he said, "Good luck, tiger!" and gave a wink. With that, he was gone.

_Ugh...Shigure..._ Hatori thought, resisting the unbearable urge to roll his eyes once again.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

_It must be her. _Hatori concluded, raising his head slightly, so his dark eyes were level with the door. "Come in."

The knob of the door twisted and the door was pushed open slowly, somewhat shyly. Hatori's gaze was met with the most stunning, innocent pair of azure blue eyes he had ever seen. She didn't speak at first, and her cheeks were stained with the beginnings of a blush. She seemed quite timid, but soon, her mouth formed words. She smiled brightly, clasping her hands together around her waist.

"I'm Tohru Honda."

* * *

_**End Chapter One.**_

_Yeah, I know. What a crappy place to leave off! But this is just the first, awkward chapter, so I have a right to leave off at a crappy place! Heh, whatever. I'm sorry if this chapter seemed kind of rushed or anything. Which, I hope that doesn't bother anyone. _

_Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. And this is probably going to be my last new fic for a while, simply because I have other stories to work on. I realize that Yuki may seem a little OOC in this chapter, but I didn't mean to make him that way. I'm just used to a little OOC Yuki because of my other Fruits Basket fic. _

_More characters will appear as the chapters progress. And there will be KyoUo, cause I love it, and maybe HaruHana. I'm not sure who to pair Yuki up with yet. Maybe Kagura? I have no clue._

_I'm rambling. Please review! It will be very much appreciated!_


	2. Onigiri

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fruits Basket._

_Thanks for all the kind reviews! I'm glad I wasn't alone when I said I liked the Toriru pairing! Yay! I'm so thankful to my reviewers! They are so nice! Oh! One reviewer pointed out that Yuki almost kisses someone in the manga! I didn't know that... (cries) I've been trying so hard to not get spoiled, but now I know that Yuki almost kisses someone! I haven't gotten that far in the manga. I'm waiting patiently for Vol. 12!_

_But, it's not your fault, you didn't know, and please don't think I'm blaming you. Cause I'm not. Okay? Well, anyway, here's chapter two to this humble little fic of mine!_

_Here ya go!_

* * *

**Picking Up The Pieces  
****Chapter Two: Onigiri**

* * *

The young lady fidgeted slightly under the scrutiny of the elder doctor. Her hands kneaded in her short, navy blue skirt that came slightly above her knees and hugged her small curves slightly. She wore a short sleeved white shirt that fit her well. On her feet she wore a pair of nice black shoes. Her long, brown hair reached past her shoulders and settled on her mid-back. He could see that part of it was tied back with a navy blue ribbon. Bright, innocent blue orbs seemed to look at him with nervousness.

She stood like that for a while, until Hatori finally spoke up.

"Are you going to take a seat or not?"

"Oh! Um...yes. I'm sorry..." The girl called Tohru pulled out the chair and sat down in front of him. "It's just that this is my first interview and I..." She trailed off suddenly. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Hatori said, slightly shocked at the girl's quick explanation as to why she was nervous.

Tohru smiled brightly, a brighter smile than Hatori had ever seen in his life. "O-Okay..." She said, trying to shake the anxious edge from her voice.

"So, Honda-kun, may I call you that?" Hatori said, trying to rid the air of tension.

"Yes," She smiled in return. "Is Hatori-san appropriate for you?"

"That's fine." Hatori said, flipping through some paperwork. "It says here that you just graduated from a college in Tokyo."

"Yes. It took a while, but I finished." The brunette girl said, smiling all the way. "It was hard, too, but eventually I got through it!"

"You majored in nursing and health care, that is correct?"

"Yes."

"It also says that you finished school with straight As." Hatori gazed up from the paper and into pools of blue. "That's very impressive for a nurse these days."

"Thank you. My mother always taught me to study and try to do your best in everything." Tohru smiled, wrinkling her hands into her skirt once again. "So, I used that as my motivation."

"It sounds that your mother is very important to you." Hatori gave a slight smile in her direction.

"Yes!" Tohru grinned in return. "She might be gone, but she always had a very big influence on me."

Hatori was curious...her mother died?

Tohru tilted her head to one side, "Is something wrong?"

The dark haired man shook his head slightly, cursing himself for letting his thoughts get the better of him. "No, nothing at all."

The rest of the interview went smoothly. Hatori made some comments that made the brunette giggle, and the sound was refreshingly pleasurable to the ears, he found out. This Tohru was, like Yuki said, very nice. Which was strange, because Hatori originally thought that it was a ploy to get him to interview the cheery girl.

Finally, Hatori got all the information he needed and gave a brief smile toward the bright eyed girl. "Well, that's all I need to know, Honda-kun." He stood up and placed the chart on his cluttered desk. "Thanks for coming today." He offered a pale hand for her to shake.

Tohru cheerily offered her own hand for Hatori to shake. He grabbed it, the soft skin of her hand met his. "No problem."

"I'll let you know if you got the job by tonight, alright?"

"Okay, that's fine!" The bright girl smiled, and retracted her hand from the doctor's firm grasp. She bent over gracefully in a bow, and then smoothed her skirt one final time before heading for the door. "Have a good day, Hatori-san." Tohru then stopped, remembering something. Digging in her handbag, she brought out a small item, wrapped in thin paper. "Here, I had an extra one of these when I made them yesterday, so I thought I'd give it to you!" She placed it in his hand, smiling all the while.

Hatori stared at the item in his hands, wondering what it was.

The girl twirled around, taking the knob in her hands, her hair swirling around her shoulders and back in a playful manner. Twisting it open, she gave a final smile, "Bye!"

Hatori's lips curved into a rare smile, "Goodbye."

* * *

"I'm home!"

Tohru kicked off her shoes by the door and hung up her coat on the coat rack. Her feet padded down the wooden floors of her apartment that she shared with one of her best friends, Kagura. "Kagura-san, I'm home!" She called out cheerily as she walked down the hall.

Kagura Sohma peeked out of her bedroom door, smiling gently. "Ah, Tohru-kun, you've gotten back earlier than I'd expected." She smiled, hazel-grey eyes shimmering.

The brunette smiled as Kagura approached her, "I'll have dinner ready in a minute, Kagura-san, as soon as I get changed."

"That's fine." Kagura grinned as she walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. Suddenly, she remembered something, "Oh, how did the interview go?"

Tohru turned around, azure orbs displaying a look of glee. "I think it went well!" Her fingers wrapped around the ribbon that pulled back her hair and gently tugged at it, causing the rest of her locks to fall limply around her shoulders. "He said he would call me back later today to tell me if I got the job or not."

"That's great, Tohru-kun!" Kagura exclaimed, full of friendly enthusiasm, and, without hesitation, she jumped onto the brunette, hugging her tightly.

"U-Um, Kagura-san, I haven't even gotten the job yet..."

"Well, we need to celebrate like you've already gotten it! I'll make dinner tonight! What would you like?"

"Um...well..."

"Oh, I know your favorite! I'll fix it, no problem, you just sit back, relax, and watch me work!" Kagura laughed as she skipped off into the kitchen.

Tohru let out a sigh as she watched her friend waltz into the kitchen, which was right across from the living room. Sighing, she walked to her room to change into some more comfortable clothes. _Kagura-san will never change... _She thought with a slight smile on her face.

* * *

The present Hatori received from Tohru just sat on his desk. He wondered whether or not he should open it. It had been about an hour after he actually had his interview with the bright and cheery young girl. And it was her cheeriness that stood out. She wasn't at all like the other nurses he had working for him. It was strange. She was like a breath of fresh air.

Soon, Hatori's fingers gave in to temptation and grabbed the small object, wrapped in simple white tissue paper. He carefully opened it and was shocked at what he saw.

An onigiri, sitting idly among the paper, just waiting to be eaten.

_Hm. _Hatori gave an amused chuckle as he placed the onigiri onto his desk. "I guess I'll have to thank her..." He took a bite out of the onigiri and savored the taste. Between bites, he thought, _This girl knows how to cook, I'll give her that. I just hope she's that good at nursing. _He took another bite, now quite surprised as to how good the onigiri was.

He imagined her reaction when he told her she was a good cook.

"_Oh, no, Hatori-san, it's not that good, is it?" She would probably say with a flushed look. _

Then, Hatori realized how strange it was for him to know _exactly _what reaction she would have if he complemented her.

Suddenly, as if out of complete darkness, memories flooded back.

* * *

"_Hatori-kun, I made your favorite, I hope it's good enough for you to eat, since you're such a critic when it comes to food." A plate of food was placed down in front of him, steaming and filling the room with a delicious smell._

"_Kana, I'm sure anything you cook will be good."_

"_Oh, Hatori-kun!" Kana exclaimed, embracing him tightly. Her lips brushed his for a moment, before walking back to the kitchen, getting her own plate of food._

_The short haired woman sat down in front of him, eagerly waiting for him to take the first bite. This was their first meal together since he popped the question. It was also the first time that Kana cooked for him, and she was extremely nervous as to what he would think of her attempt. _

_Hatori took the chopsticks in his hands slightly, and poised them over the noodles Kana had made specially for him. _

_He dug into the steaming plate with excitement, solely meant for Kana, because if he showed any kind of grimace, she would notice something was wrong, and desperately ask what was wrong with her cooking. _

_Hatori plopped the noodles in his mouth, chewed, and a grimace came over his features that he couldn't hide._

_It was terrible!_

_However, he tried his best to swallow it, but not before grabbing his glass of water and attempting to wash it down._

_It didn't work._

_Fortunately, Kana wasn't looking at him, she was too bust staring down at her own pile of noodles in front of her. With a small hand, she grabbed her chopsticks and timidly prodded her own creation._

_Meanwhile, Hatori was bust trying to gulp down all of the noodles in front of him, so he wouldn't make Kana cry. It would be terrible if he was the one to make her cry. And all because of the nasty food she had made._

_Despite the reluctance of his stomach, Hatori downed every last one of the noodles, only leaving the sauce to swash around on his plate. His dark eyes glance up at Kana, who had tried her own noodles, and the red on her cheeks indicated what she thought of it. _

"_H-Hatori...kun..." She murmured, brown eyes looking into his dark ones. "You...actually **ate** it?" Kana asked, somewhat stunned, if not amazed._

_Hatori glanced at her and sheepishly shook his head up and down, nodding. "Yes."_

_The brunette's eyes seemed to lighten. "You ate it even though it tasted terrible, huh?"_

_Oh, so she **could **tell..._

"_Just so I wouldn't be sad?"_

_Hatori once again nodded._

_He was surprised, once again, by her actions, as she leaned over the small table and placed her lips on his in a soft kiss, tender and meaningful. When they parted, she looked deep into his eyes, only centimeters were between their faces, and said._

"_That's why I love you."_

_Hatori smiled gently as he gave her a kiss in return, it was brief, but it didn't lack the meaning of hers. He pulled away from her and gave her a smirk._

"_Why don't we go out to eat tonight?" Hatori said, rising from his chair and walking into his room to get changed. _

"_Why?"_

"_Well, I think after all your hard work, you need to be treated to something nice." Hatori smiled at her. "So, get dressed and we'll get going."_

_Kana laughed, "You just don't want to cook, do you?"_

"_You know me all too well."_

* * *

The dark haired man shook his head slightly, as if trying to rid the memory from his thoughts. Sighing, he reached for the phone. He should let Tohru know if she got the job or not. It was almost seven, and the sky had already begun to grow dark. Hatori figured she had waited long enough for his call.

Just as he was about to dial her number, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in." He droned, obviously annoyed.

The door burst open, and a flamboyant silver haired man entered the room, wearing a flashy red jacket that reached his knees and a pair of black pants. His gorgeous silver hair was tied back in a loose braid that reached his waist. Green eyes glittered with almost childlike enthusiasm, which was strange, for he was exactly Hatori's age.

"Ayame..." Hatori growled in annoyance. "What have I told you about busting in my office..."

"Oh, but Tori-san, I just _had _to show you this!" Ayame Sohma exclaimed as he brought out an outfit.

He held out a white nurse's outfit, complete with little white hat. It was..._modified_ in other areas to show more skin than a normal nurse's outfit should. If a girl was here, she would say it was cute...until she wore it, then she would call it _degrading_. But, for most of the nurses in Hatori's office, that wouldn't matter, for they'd be showing their "goods" off to him.

This is what Ayame did for a living. He made even the most innocent of clothing be a man's fantasy for his woman, or, if he didn't like women in that way, for his man, which would be intensely creepy for Hatori if he ever saw it.

Thankfully, he hadn't.

But, Ayame was talented in what he did, even if it was strange to Hatori. He even owned his own shop, which was very popular, by the way. He would get requests daily from men, women, anyone who was mature enough to handle his "masterpieces", as he called them.

Ayame smiled as he walked up to Hatori, strange nurse's outfit in hand. "Don't you just _love _it?" He said, giving a rather confident laugh. "Do you want to know who inspired me to make this absolutely remarkable item of men's romance?"

"No." A rather blunt answer from Hatori.

"Well, Yuki showed me a picture of the girl you were going to interview today, and she became my muse!" Ayame exclaimed, despite the answer he got from Hatori. "She was just so innocent! And thus all the white on the uniform!"

"All nurse's uniforms are white."

"And don't you just love how I added the lace here, and the bow on the back, and the red cross on the hat - "

"Ayame!"

"Yes, Tori-san?"

"Can you please talk to me about this _later_?" Hatori said, obviously annoyed.

"Oh, you should have just said so!" Ayame smiled, walking to the door, taking his creation with him. "Bye, bye, Tori-san! I'll make sure to call you and talk to you about this!"

"I can't wait." Hatori said sarcastically as the door closed.

_Well, that was the random moment of the day. I wonder how he got into the hospital? Probably seduced some nurse into letting him in...that's Ayame, alright. _Hatori thought, as he once again grabbed the phone.

This time, as he dialed the number to Tohru's apartment, there were no interruptions, thankfully.

* * *

"Tohru-kun, dinner is ready!" Kagura exclaimed, causing Tohru to jump slightly from her position on the couch, where she was lazily watching television.

The brunette smiled happily as her nose picked up the aroma of Kagura's prepared meal. It sure smelled good, and Tohru was starving.

Tohru had changed from the clothes she had on earlier, when she was interviewed by Hatori. She now wore a comfortable pair of deep green silk pajama pants with a baggy white shirt. She only had a pair of socks on her feet, as it was kind of chilly in the apartment, since winter was approaching and she had forgotten to turn on the heater.

Tohru walked to the stove, where a pot of ramen noodles was simmering. She scooped out a few and sat down in her usual place on the bar that looked over the living room. It was still in the kitchen, but you could see out into the living room, which was quite large. Kagura soon got her own plate of food, and grabbed Tohru a pair of chopsticks. "Here. You forgot these." She handed the utensils to the brunette.

"Oh, thank you, Kagura-san." Tohru smiled brightly as she took the items from Kagura's slender hands.

Kagura sat down beside Tohru and began to watch the show Tohru had been previously watching.

As soon as Tohru picked up some of the ramen noodles with her chopsticks, the phone rang. "I'll get it." Tohru said when she saw Kagura start to get up. She rose from her seat and walked over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello? This is Tohru Honda speaking."

Kagura glanced over to her friend and saw an immediate smile wash over her features. _Must be the doctor that interviewed her._

"Um, yes...oh, thank you so much!" Tohru giddily exclaimed into the phone, clutching it tighter.

Kagura smirked. _Oh, yeah, it's him._

A few minutes later, the brunette hung up, and Kagura was curious. "What happened?"

It took Tohru a while before he found the words to answer. "He said I seemed like a nice girl and he said that I can cook really good, and that he liked the onigiri I made!"

"_And_...?" Kagura asked, waiting for Tohru to tell her what else happened.

Tohru smiled, cerulean blue orbs sparkled.

"I got the job!"

* * *

_**End Chapter Two.**_

_I'm finally done! Actually, it was a quicker update that I thought it'd be. And it's all because of my reviewers! So, I'll update quicker if I get a lot of reviews! It would help me! _

_And, if I haven't said this enough, I'm really grateful to all the reviewers and people who like this story and want me to continue. Without you, I probably wouldn't even have written this chapter. _

_So, anyway, please press the pretty purple button down there and review!_


	3. Her First Day

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Fruits Basket!_

_Okay, yes, it seemed like this story has been dead for the longest time, but I finally decided to update it, although I think that I might have lost all my readers since it's been so long since I've given y'all an update. (Either that, or you're waiting in the shadows with torches and pitchforks.)_

_Anyway, I'll do my best to make this a good chapter to make up for the lack of updates!_

* * *

**Picking Up The Pieces  
****Chapter Three: Her First Day**

* * *

"Tohru-kun..." 

A yawn emitted from the lips of the mentioned brown haired girl, but she didn't stir.

"Tohru-kun." Kagura repeated with a firmer tone.

Tohru only turned on her side and laughed loudly in her sleep, much like a child.

"TOHRU-KUN!"

The Honda youth sat up with a squeak, the covers flinging themselves from her thin frame. Her eyes were wide, yet were slightly drawn at the corners from lack of sleep the night before. Tohru looked to the girl who stood in her door way, "K-Kagura-san? What was that for?" She asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand.

Kagura sharply pointed to her alarm clock, "You're going to be late."

Tohru's eyes became as wide as saucers as she began to panic, "Oh, no, Kagura-san! I can't be late! Hatori-san hired me and I am going to be letting him down by being late and I have to - "

Kagura walked over to the spazzing girl in front of her and put a soft hand over her mouth, "You might want to start by getting dressed..." She said, giving the younger woman a feminine smile to ease her worries.

The brunette blinked twice as her roommate's advice sunk in, "A-Ah..." She mumbled against the hand that was pressed limply over her lips and mouth.

Kagura then patted Tohru on the head, "Good."

She then left Tohru to get dressed for the day ahead.

It only took her about ten minutes to find a skirt and a long-sleeved top to wear over to the office. She figured they would give her an outfit or uniform or scrubs or something else to wear. After she pulled her hair back into a simple, low, ponytail, she was ready to head off to her first day at the job.

_Hopefully_ Hatori wouldn't fire her for being late the first day!

* * *

Hatori sighed roughly and ran a hair through his oddly unkempt locks. Closing his eyes, as if to replenish himself of the sleep he had lost last night due to more and more nightmares about Kana, he let out a small groan as he walked into the lounge. 

The lounge was a simple one, with counters with food and drinks and a coffee pot settled on it's somewhat messy surface. A couch and three reclining chairs were gathered in the center. This was where the dark haired Sohma got his coffee each morning before he had to go in and meet with his patients.

He took a paper cup from one of the cabinets that was above the counter and made his way over to the coffee machine. As he poured the steaming black substance into his cup, he found his mind wandering to that Honda girl that he gave the job to.

She seemed like a bright, optimistic, cheery girl, which was just what this sometimes dreary hospital needed. Many doctors other than Hatori worked here as well, and they were mostly boring, rich, pompous bastards with no other interest besides getting their paycheck. Most of these so-called "doctors" couldn't care less about the people themselves, although they were brilliant diagnosticians, for they most likely had gotten into the practice of medicine for the perks - money, power, superiority...

None of that interested Hatori, however.

Despite his cold exterior and usually icy approach to things, he actually _loved_ his job. He was very kind and caring toward all his patients, although most of the time it didn't show through his voice, but his actions and the ways he acted toward his patients - unless they were just being babies about a scraped knee, like Shigure was capable of doing - showed that he genuinely cared about their welfare.

Getting payed handsomely to help people...Hatori had no idea that was a possibility when he was younger.

This girl, Tohru Honda, seemed to want to help people as well. That was an admirable trait about the girl that Hatori noticed right away.

Not only was she kind, considerate, and sweet, she was rather - dare he admit this to himself? - _cute_.

Hatori shook his head, getting that thought from it. He had no time for romance.

In fact, he didn't _want_ to be in a relationship.

Not ever, ever again did he want to feel the joy of loving someone ripped away from him by that loved one dying.

The despair, the hopelessness, the..._thoughts_ that ran through his head nightly. He had hushed the thoughts in his head that wanted him to harm himself. He wouldn't sink to that. He didn't want that...and, more so, _Kana _wouldn't have wanted that, either. And he had seen his share of suicides, of self-inflicted wounds, that he knew for a fact, that no matter how depressed he might be on the inside, he would never let him cause that pain to himself.

The doctor walked out of the lounge and checked his watch as he sipped on that steaming coffee, noting that the time that he had on his watch was well past the time that all the nurses on the day shift were supposed to be at the hospital, dressed and ready to start, "Hm, Honda-kun is going to be la - "

Suddenly, a flash of brown entered his vision as a small girl charged around the corner, colliding with his solid chest, pushing the coffee against the white of his doctor's garb. He muted his stunned gasp as the hot liquid seeped through and made contact with his skin.

He was almost certain it was her.

"Honda-kun."

She hadn't moved from his chest, but used her petite hands to push away from his form when she heard his voice, "Ha-Hatori-san! I-I-I'm so, so sorry!" Frantic, azure orbs scanned over his lab coat and saw the large, brown stain where the coffee had spilled onto it, "Oh, no, that's going to stain, Hatori-san! I'm really, very sorry that I did that - "

"It's fine, Honda-kun." He reassured, putting an awkward hand on her head.

"But...but you might have to see a patient and then they'll wonder if they have a doctor that can't handle his coffee, then what will he do to me in surgery?!" The Honda girl said, genuinely worried.

"I have more coats," Hatori said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I can go change right now."

She raised her innocent eyes to meet his own, more serious, ones, and a scarlet color stained her cheeks, "O-Oh..." She then let out a nervous laugh, as to try and hide why she was embarrassed, "Okay, then..."

"You might need to get dressed too..." Hatori took in the sight of her attire. "We have nurse outfits and scrubs if you don't want to wear the skirt..."

"Ah. Okay," A bright, cheery smile washed over her features, "Where would they be?"

"In the changing room down the hall, last door on the right." Hatori pointed to illustrate his point.

"Alright, thank you very much, Hatori-san!" She closed her eyes in an even brighter smile. She politely bowed to thank him even further before she raced off to get changed.

The doctor just stood there, his mind whirring with the recent events that seemed to go by in just a millisecond. He closed his eyes and was met with a pair of bright blue orbs in his subconscious, and they comforted him, although he had no idea why.

_She's an odd girl..._ He thought to himself before he walked into the waiting room to call on his first patient of the day.

* * *

Tohru had spent just a mere couple of minutes choosing what she should wear out of the lot of nurses's wear. She had opted for a traditional white uniform - a skirt that reached just a bit past her knees with short sleeves and a pair of white shoes. She left her hair in the same low tail it had been in when she arrived, and sighed as she walked out of the changing room, small nurses' hat in her hand. Yawning, she placed it onto her head. Luckily she had found a uniform that fit her perfectly. 

"Oi, it's the new nurse."

Tohru turned, looking at the voice that called her. Immediately, her eyes brightened in familiarity, "Kyo-kun, Uo-chan!"

An orange haired man by the name of Kyo Sohma looked at the shorter woman across from him with a pair of scarlet eyes. A woman beside him, Arisa Uotani, was supporting him on one of her shoulders, blonde hair being caught under his arm as she did so. Azure blue orbs looked at Tohru with familiarity, "Tohru, how's the new job going for ya?"

"I haven't yet gotten started, Uo-chan, but I think it's going to go good!" Tohru smiled at the two, not yet noticing the large gash on Kyo's knee that was bleeding profusely.

"Um, Tohru..." Uotani started, closing her eyes in sympathy for the somewhat scatterbrained brunette girl.

"Yes?"

"We kinda need some stitches..." The blonde yankee pointed to Kyo's rather large wound. "Idiot here fell off the roof again."

"Oi, it wasn't _my _fault!" Kyo defended, turning his face to meet Uotani's, noses almost touching, "You were the one who yelled at me to 'get my scrawny ass in the house before I freeze to death'!"

"I was only keeping you from getting sick! It was late at night and cold, too!"

"Oh, is making me get stitches keeping me safe?" Kyo smirked at her, his eyes dancing with the thrill of getting her agitated.

She lightly bonked his head with her fist before turning to Tohru and smiling a toothy grin, "_Anyway_, we have been in that damn waiting room for a while, and they finally called us in here...and we saw you, so we thought we should say hi at least."

"And, also, the woman who called us said I would be getting stitched up by the new nurse." Kyo said, his eyes meeting Tohru's, "I asked her what the _new nurse's_ name was and she said _you _were the one who was going to do it."

Tohru gulped. "M-Me?"

Uotani and Kyo both laughed at the horrified expression on the shorter girl's features.

"Oh, and look at that." Uotani pointed to a door that said 'Room 14' on its mahogany surface in golden letters, "That's the room they assigned us to - oh, Tohru, you even got your name beside the door!" She said with almost suppressed excitement.

True enough, under the number was a interchangeable sign that said Tohru Honda on the current card. Her eyes brightened at the sight of it, "Uwah..."

_I'm officially a __**nurse**_ Tohru thought, a feeling of pride and accomplishment finally hitting her out of no where.

Kyo hissed through his teach, "Dammit..."

"Ah, Tohru?" Uotani lightly bonked the shorter girl on the head. "Kyon's over here, 'member?"

The brunette shot to attention, eyes dancing back toward the twosome, "Oh, yes! That's right. I apologize, Uo-chan, Kyo-kun." She opened the door and extended her hand toward it, "This way."

She closed her eyes in a brightly innocent smile as she followed the two into the room.

_I can finally make Mom proud. I am so happy!_

* * *

Hatori sighed as he checked through his paperwork for the day. He sighed somewhat, out of exhaustion and relief at finally being done with the dreaded problems he faced each day as a doctor. The day had been rather slow at the hospital, only a few minor things were going on. Someone had the flu, others had a cold. Nothing major like a serious illness or injury. It was a pleasant relief, although they rarely had any major happenings in this particular hospital, for it was in a rather small town. And it was a rather small office in itself. The larger hospital was in the main part of town, and this branch of the hospital was in a more remote, quiet, scenic, wooded area of town. 

The Sohma doctor pushed his chair in under his desk and rose. He was due to check on the nurse stitching up some idiot who fell off of a roof. The idiot being one of his many relatives in the far expanding Sohma family. Particularly Kyo Sohma.

He stretched languorously, closing his eyes as he did so. When he opened them, they lingered on the picture of Kana he always kept on his desk. After her death, he never had the heart to remove it. He had loved her, after all.

A feeling of gladness shot over his frame as he viewed her image in the frame. Short, straight, light brown locks cropped just under her chin. Warm brown eyes, like cocoa, were smiling along with the playful smirk she had across her full lips. She was dressed in a yellow sun dress - Hatori always said it was one of her better colors, although she looked stunning in everything - and she held a white floppy-brimmed hat above her head as to keep it from flying off.

_Kana..._

Even in the picture he could see the ring on her finger, and a sense of longing washed over him. Longing to be with her. Longing to feel her lips on his. Longing to feel her body against hers.

And he remembered the happiness they almost shared together.

He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts as he shut the door behind him. There was no use for a depressed, mopey doctor who had his mind preoccupied with his downfall in this hospital.

It took him no time to get to the room where the procedure was taking place. His dark eyes scanned the nameplate and he smiled inwardly when he read the name, _Tohru Honda...she must be nervous, having to stitch up a boy the first day on the job..._

Inwardly, he chuckled, imagining her apologetic expression after she had stitched a piece of cloth into the wound. Or after prodding the wrong area with a needle. Or after messing up. It was surprising to him how much he could predict about the girl after only interacting with her a few hours in the past two days.

His slender fingers jarred the door open and he walked into the room. Hatori's eyes immediately landed on the newbie nurse, who was stuck in her work, carefully, and precisely sewing up the crater of a wound on Kyo's knee, whilst the orange top and his girlfriend watched with muted breath, as to not disturb the innocent girl in her duties.

The blonde girl - Arisa Uotani if he wasn't mistaken - spoke up as soon as she connected her azure orbs with his dark ones, "Tohru, there's a visitor." She smiled a toothy grin at her friend.

As if just realizing that Hatori was in the room, Tohru looked quickly up, keeping her hands steady with the needle as she did so, "Oh, hello Hatori-san!" Her eyes took on a kind expression, a far cry from the serious look she was giving Kyo's knee injury, "What are you doing here?" She snipped the remainder of the thread from Kyo's knee and threw it into a trash can.

"Just came to check up on the patient..." Hatori replied. "And to see if you hadn't messed anything up." He finished with a slight smirk, signaling that he was approachable.

Tohru countered that with a smile, "Ah ha ha!"

And somehow, Hatori found himself smiling along with her.

It was odd...

This girl was somewhat like Kana, and she intrigued him all the same.

But she and Kana differed greatly. Where Kana was more mature and kind, Tohru seemed to be more innocent and childlike as well as optimistic. Hatori thought that if he had gotten to see Kana when she were younger, Tohru would be the mirror image of her.

Ridding that thought from his mind, for he had other matters to attend to, he walked over Kyo's knee and inspected the stitches, "Ah, well done, Honda-kun. Hopefully you weren't too disgusted by his condition."

"Oh, not at all!" Tohru replied brightly with no hint of malice whatsoever, "I am not a very squeamish person, Hatori-san. Otherwise I wouldn't have become a nurse!"

The laugh that emitted from her was like a fresh breeze the washed over him. Once more, he found himself smiling despite everything.

He laid a hand on her head in a gesture of a job well done. Smiling, he voiced the words that his motions had said on their own, "Good job, Honda-kun."

Tohru found herself flushed at his sudden sign of approval. "Um...ah...thank you very much!"

His hand slowly left her head, and found a place at his side. With a nod that dismissed himself, he walked out of the door.

And Tohru never realized that her eyes lingered on his thin form until he was out of sight, a slight blush tinging her cheeks.

* * *

_**End Chapter Three.**_

_Alright! There it is! I tried to make it as good as I could to make up for not updating in like a year! (Which I am still very, very sorry for! Haha.) It's longer than the previous ones, I know that. So that alone should make ya feel better for your time and trouble wondering if I was gonna continue this fic or not!_

_Well, anyway, I'm not making things move too fast. Just at the end, Hatori had to do something to show that he approved of Tohru's skills as a nurse and, well...I could imagine Hatori doing that... And Tohru's reaction is just natural. It doesn't mean she's falling for Hatori right away. I mean, if you had someone as gorgeous as Hatori put his hand on your head and smile down at you, you'd blush! Just assuming everyone's like me in that way. Ha. _

_Okay, so please press the pretty buttons and leave me some nice things to make me happy! _

_Arigato!_


End file.
